


In Open Arms

by DreamOfDestiny



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, deaging, i'm actually doing this, little Zelena, spells, when you have nothing to do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-10-26 22:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10795605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamOfDestiny/pseuds/DreamOfDestiny
Summary: A spell gone wrong causes a different turn of events and maybe, just maybe, this might just be a second chance





	1. An Unlikely Situation

**Author's Note:**

> Despite this story I am not a Zelena fan nor will I ever be. This was written to take an alternate route on her tale...needless to say, there is no switched dagger, no time travel. I know this is short, but the next nine chapters will gradually get longer. A young Zelena just seems adorable...and this is really a side project while I work on my other stories. Hope you enjoy this, dearies~ Feel free to leave comments, they're highly appreciate!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma deals with Zelena in Storybrooke County Jail, but things take an interesting turn

Emma Swan groaned, rolling over to one side, as her alarm clock went off that signaled she had to get up for work. It had been almost two weeks since Zelena was captured, thrown into jail until the heroes could figure out what to do with her. The pain of Neal's death still hit Emma hard, but she desperately tried not to show it. She had to remain strong for Henry, whose memories had returned and was adjusting to his father's untimely fall. Emma sighed, heading down to the sheriff's station, because despite everything she still needed to look over the wicked witch and feed her. "Come to visit me, darling? I didn't think anyone cared," the redheaded woman laughed. Emma gritted her teeth, glaring sharply at Zelena. "Here." She hissed out, shoving a brown bag of Granny's leftovers into the witch's hands. Zelena seemed to hesitate before opening the bag, flashing the sheriff a wide smile. "Are you just going to watch me all day?" Regina's sister mocked. "No, of course not." Emma snapped angrily. She scowled and turned around, walking over to her desk without saying a single word. "How is my dear sister doing? Not too badly, I hope," Zelena laughed sarcastically. She took a bite of the hamburger despite the look on her face, the one of irritation. "Hey, keep quiet. I'm busy here." Emma hissed, going over the paperwork. "Oh, sorry, darling." Zelena mocked her, eyes glinting with mischief and the 'I-don't-give-a-dam' expression. She knew that the so-called Savior was getting annoyed and it was so much fun, still having that kind of effect on a person. "Tell me something, darling... How does it feel to know that I killed Neal?" The witch taunted, smirking widely. Emma forced herself not to say anything, pretending to be interested in the mound of papers. "You can't ignore me all day, you know. Mm...it's a shame though, I had quite the control on my pet." Zelena sighed, mostly to herself. Emma slammed her hand furiously on the desk, eyes blazing as she whirled to face the wicked witch. "Shut up! The only reason that I'm doing this is because Regina asked me to, said you should have a second chance no matter what you'd done. So...I'd highly-" Emma's anger sparked her magic, swirling all over the county jail, sending tremors on the ground and knocking things to the floor. Zelena laughed madly at the mishap, but the smug look quickly faded when she was thrown back hard against the cell's walls. "What are you doing?" She hissed, fighting against the hold that the 'Savior' had on her. Emma didn't seem to realize what was going on, lips pulled back angrily. Before either could register what had happened everything went black. "...ugh...wh-what...?" Emma groaned as soon as she woke up. She didn't hear the familiar taunts of Zelena, only the sniffling that came from within one of the cells. "Oh, you've got to be kidding," the blonde groaned. She stared at the young girl, who couldn't be older than five or six, in front of her with wavy red hair and those frustrating blue eyes. "Wh-Who are yo-you?" The kid stammered. "I'm...Emma. Who are you?" Emma forced a smile on her face. What had she done? Thanks to her magic's spiral she'd succesfully managed to turn the wicked witch into a child. "I-I'm Zelena... what am I do-doing here? I promise I'll be good!" Zelena's blue eyes were pleading, oddly frightened. Emma frowned, but didn't say anything and took out her phone. "Hey, Regina...it's Emma. We have a bit of a problem."


	2. A Little Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma takes care of little Zelena while Regina tries to handle the situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason for Zelena's behavior is because she has none of her adult memories. Regina and Emma will be the ones taking care of little Zelena, but is everything going to turn out the way it should?

Zelena didn't understand why she was being punished. She was in a cage and it was cold and damp. Had she done something wrong? The blonde lady named Emma walked away to use that small silver box, leaving the young redhead alone. Frightened by the situation Zelena's lip trembled as silent tears fell down her face. "...I will...yes, Regina..." Emma sighed, hanging up the phone. She headed back to let the former sorceress out of the cell to find the girl crying her eyes out. "I- you alright?" She asked, hurriedly opening the cell doors. Within seconds Zelena had flung herself at Emma, who froze momentarily before gently pushing the kid away. "I-I'm so-sorry if I was ba-bad," Regina's sister squeaked. "No, that wasn't your... fault... someone, um, bad put you there. It's okay now," the blonde lady replied. "Are you hungry?" Emma asked. Zelena nodded shyly, her interest peaked by the pretty keys that hung from Emma's pocket. "Here, um...yeah," Emma said, handing the redhead a bag of potato chips. How was she supposed to react around the kid? She forced back the memories of what had happened when Zelena was still an adult, turning to watch the girl...only she was nowhere in sight. Emma swore beneath her breath, starting to look everywhere for the deaged witch. Eventually, much to the sheriff's relief, the five-year-old was found hiding beneath the desk. "Jeez, kid...you scared me!" The savior bit back a snarl, eyes glaring sharply at Zelena, who surprisingly enough cowered away from her. "I-I-I'm sorry, I-I'll be good!" The redheaded child stammered. Emma's gaze dropped, softening slightly, as she recalled that familiar look from when she was a child: fear. "No, it's alright, you just...got me worried." She sighed. "Do y-you know where my pawents are?" Zelena asked. Emma held back the urge to laugh at the sudden lisp. "Well..." She began, but was suddenly interrupted by the office's door swinging open. "Regina." The sheriff said. Regina scowled slightly before giving her 'younger' sister a glance, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Miss Swan, I trust that she hasn't been a problem," the mayor spoke. "No...we need to talk." Emma hissed. "Make it quick then. I have to take care her home with me," Regina sighed. The two walked towards the entrance and Emma dropped her voice to a solemn whisper. "When she was turned into a child...the kid's been acting weird, there were a few times when she thought I was going to punish her." Regina didn't say anything, heading over to the young Zelena, who looked at her with such an innocent expression. "Who are you?" Her now little sister asked. "I'm Regina, your... I'm the one who'sgoing to take care of you," Regina half explained. Seeing the look of pure happiness on Zelena's face took the older sibling aback. When the little redhead had been much older there was always envy and hatred evident in her eyes. "You'll be twaking care of me?" Zelena replied softly with a bit of lisp. "Yes, I will. Come on," Regina tried not to frown as she suddenly remembered that Henry was there and young Roland with his father, Robin, who had only just started living in the house with the former evil queen. "Do you have her ready?" Emma asked, leaning against the front doors, arms crossed over her chest. "Is something troubling you, Miss Swan?" Regina questioned. "Are you considering if there's a way to change her back?" The savior continued. "Not yet. I need to head off and buy this little greenie her new selection," Regina said, grasping her now younger sister's hand. "There's no need for your services right now. I'll handle her." She explained to Emma, who was about ready to follow the pair. "Gina?" Zelena spoke. Regina smiled softly at the nickname, forcing back the wetness in her eyes. Maybe this could be the sisterly bond that she wasn't able to experience before.


	3. The Shopping Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and her little sister are off on a shopping trip and it all takes an interesting turn
> 
> As usual comments are appreciated in any of my stories

Regina Mills had experienced many things in her time as both the Evil Queen and as the mayor of a seemingly normal town in Maine, but she never thought she would be taking care of her deaged sister. "Where are we going?" Zelena's child voice piped up. "We're going on a little sho-" Regina's words were sharply cut off by the squeal of excitement from the redhead, who was now distracted by the form of Pongo on the sidewalk. "I see you like dogs," the now older sibling mused, chuckling softly. This young Zelena wasn't so bad... it was nothing compared to what her older 'wicked witch' acted like. "Gina~ Where are we going?" She piped up. "We're going on a little shopping trip to get you some new clothes and other things like toys," Regina answered, trying not to appear shocked by the sudden nickname.  
"Toys? For me?" Zelena asked shyly as if she had never receieved one, her eyes wide with disbelief. Regina tried not to wince at the pure joy in the redhead's expression and continued driving until she pulled into a kids' clothing store. "Alright, Zelena, let's get you a new set of clothing," the mayor replied, grasping onto the little girl's hand. To her surprise Zelena didn't pull away and bounded beside Regina on the way inside. "Madame Mayor, what are- goodness, whose this little one?" One of the workers, a young man named Alexander, gasped, seeing the child. "I'm Zelena!" Zelena chirped. "My, aren't you a sweet one," Alexander cooed, smiling at the redhead. "What are we looking for, madame mayor?" He clapped his hands, causing the young Zelena to giggle. "What do you have?" Regina asked. Alexander chuckled softly and led the two siblings towards a bunch of dressing ranks filled with a vast assortment of clothes. "Here we are! Take all the time you want," he spoke, heading off to his office. "Alright, little greenie, let's find you something nice." Regina said. How hard could this even be? To her frustration nothing caught her attention or Zelena's for that matter until a loud squeal rang out. Zelena had bounded off, staring with barely hidden excitement at a shirt with a kitten drawn on it. Her caretaker smiled softly and grabbed it. After what felt like hours there was a pile of clothing at the cash register. "I hope you found the right thing for this lovely lady," Alexander smiled.

It was when the two siblings arrived at a local toy store that the real adventure began. Zelena had been mesmerized by everything and anything, eyes lit up with the biggest amount of happiness that her sister had ever seen. "See anything you like?" Regina asked the little redhead, but to her surprise received no answer. She turned to realize that the deaged sorceress was no longer at her side, eyes widening in disbelief. "Zelena?" The mayor called out. She groaned in annoyance, searching everywhere for the missing child. "Zelena, you had better come out right now! I am not in the mood for games!" Regina's voice rose angrily. She sighed, still unable to find the girl, and that only caused the older sister to fume. "Miss, is something wrong?" One of the employees, a young woman with light-colored hair, asked. "Have you seen a girl about six years old? She has red hair and blue eyes," Regina answered. "A child, you say? Well, I might be able to help you look. I'm sure she's here somewhere." Even with the employee to help there was still no sign of Zelena and that only caused Regina to worry. She hadn't felt this way about a child since having taken care of Henry, who would soon find out he had a little sister. "Zelena Mills, you had better come out right now!" Regina growled. All of a sudden a soft child's giggle rang out and a wave of relief spread over the mayor, who ran up to Zelena. "Where have you been?" She questioned. "Um... I was with Emerald!" Zelena piped up. "Whose Emerald?" Regina stared in confusion until she saw the stuffed green dragon in her now younger sister's hands. "Why... oh, for goodness sakes, Lena... don't run off next time. Let's go pay."

The drive back home was quite peaceful and Regina breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Zelena with Emerald, the little green dragon, having the widest smile. Henry was to spend the night at Emma's while Regina sorted everything out for the newest addition. Zelena had begun to get tired, yawning quietly, and Regina took her to Henry's old room, changing the little girl into a set of pyjamas that had green-and-pink polka dots on them. Zelena clutched Emerald in her hands as her older sister put the bedsheets on her and turned her off the light. It was going to take a while to adjust to the deaged Zelena and even with the obvious changes between the young girl and the crazed witch Regina still felt uncomfortable. She sighed, settling into her own bed, drifting off into mindless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick little author's note... basically none of the stories I write are being cancelled or left unfinished. The one exception is Rushing Waters as that is more for fun than an actual story or book. A person I know on deviantart inspired me to write a very interesting crossover that will be up as soon as it can. Until next time, dearies~


	4. Unfortunate Update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to extreme writer's block and lack of ideas I have decided to cancel this fic, but no worries... none of my other projects have been cancelled. I am really sorry if you liked this one.

If you have any ideas for an alternative to this fic please let me know or I'll just rewrite this some other time


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